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Russia’s HGV, known as Avangard, is equipped with a
nuclear warhead and deployed on SS-19 long-range land-
based ballistic missiles. While SS-19 missiles can carry six
nuclear warheads on a ballistic trajectory, reports indicate
that they will deploy with only one Avangard HGV.
Avangard reportedly features onboard countermeasures and
will be able to maneuver in flight so that it can evade U.S.
Source: CRS image based on an image in “Gliding missiles that fly ballistic missile defenses. Russia conducted successful tests
faster than Mach 5 are coming,” The Economist, April 6, 2019. of Avangard 2016 and 2018. On December 27, 2019, the
Russian military announced that it had activated two SS-19
Taken together, the HGVs’ novel trajectory and missiles equipped with Avangard.
maneuverability in flight would complicate a U.S. effort to
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Defense Primer: Hypersonic Boost-Glide Weapons
Russia views the Avangard system as a part of its nuclear programs and expanded them to include short-, medium-,
retaliatory capability, ensuring that Russian missiles could and long-range systems.
penetrate U.S. ballistic missile defenses. According to the
Pentagon’s 2019 Missile Defense Review, the United States When asked about this dynamic in February 2020, Admiral
relies on nuclear deterrence, not ballistic missile defenses, Charles Richard, the commander of U.S. Strategic
to counter Russia’s long-range missile forces. Nevertheless, Command, noted that there “is a competition, just like any
in March 2018, President Putin stated that Russia had other military competition.” But he did not characterize it as
pursued HGV technologies in response to the U.S. 2002 an arms race. He noted that the United States was
withdrawal from the 1972 Anti-ballistic Missile Treaty. developing technologies needed to meet U.S. national
Some U.S. analysts, however, have noted that Russia could objectives, and he noted that he expected the United States
use the Avangard as part of a first strike, even in the to be successful in meeting its security goals. Others have
absence of U.S. ballistic missile defenses, to attack critical noted that the same is true for Russia and China; each is
targets quickly. Others have assessed that Russia is likely to developing HGVs to meet their own security interests, not
deploy Avangard in small numbers, so it will add little to to counter or match the U.S. development of HGVs.
Russia’s existing nuclear force structure. Specifically, both seem to be responding to concerns about
U.S. ballistic missile defense programs.
China
China has developed an HGV known as the DF-ZF Game-Changing Technology?
(previously referred to as the WU-14) and has tested it at Some analysts have asserted that the speed, accuracy, and
least nine times since 2014. U.S. defense officials have maneuverability of hypersonic boost-glide weapons will
stated that the HGV may be capable of performing fundamentally change the character of warfare. Former
“extreme maneuvers” during flight, which would allow it to acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly made this case
evade U.S. ballistic missile defenses. Unclassified reports in January 2020 when he noted that these technologies
indicate this glider would likely be equipped with “have already changed the nature of the battlespace” and
conventional warheads, and when mated with the DF-17 that they “can destabilize the global security environment
booster, could travel to ranges of 1,800-2,500 kilometers. and pose an existential threat to our nation.” Others
question this assessment. They note that boost-glide
China is also developing the DF-41 long-range systems can reach their targets more quickly than other
intercontinental ballistic missile, which, according to a maneuverable systems, like aircraft and subsonic cruise
2014 report by a U.S. Congressional Commission, could missiles. But adversaries armed with ballistic missiles have
carry a nuclear hypersonic glide vehicle. General Terrence long been able to attack U.S. forces, allies, and territory,
O’Shaughnessy, then commander of U.S. Northern even without maneuvering warheads. Consequently, they
Command, seemed to confirm this assessment in February argue that there is nothing new about the threat from
2020, when he testified that “China is testing a [nuclear- nuclear-armed HGVs, when compared with other nuclear-
armed] intercontinental-range hypersonic glide vehicle … armed missiles, and nothing existential about a threat from
which is designed to fly at high speeds and low altitudes, conventionally armed HGVs.
complicating our ability to provide precise warning.”
Crisis Instability?
Some contend that China has prioritized HGV development Boost-glide systems could accelerate the pace of warfare
to counter “specific security threats from increasingly and create incentives to strike first in a crisis. If the United
sophisticated U.S. military technology.” This includes both States and potential adversaries develop these systems to
U.S. hypersonic weapons that could threaten strikes against strike promptly against high-value targets protected by
China’s nuclear arsenal and supporting infrastructure, and missile defenses, each side may believe it has to strike first,
U.S. missile defense deployments that could then limit and strike fast, to achieve its objectives. This dynamic—
China’s ability to conduct a retaliatory strike against the often referred to as crisis instability—could provoke the
United States. In this framework, nuclear-armed HGVs on start of a conflict even if neither party to the crisis initially
long-range missiles would ensure that China had the ability planned to strike first.
to retaliate after a U.S. attack, even if the United States
were to expand its ballistic missile defense capabilities. DOD is seeking to address the potential threats posed by
HGVs on medium-range missiles would aid China’s efforts hypersonic boost-glide weapons with programs developing
to threaten U.S. assets in the Indo-Pacific region, defensive systems to track and engage them. Experts
particularly when faced with growing U.S. regional missile disagree on the cost and technological feasibility of this
defense capabilities. approach. Policymakers may also consider mechanisms to
ban or limit the deployment of these weapons to avoid the
Arms Race Dynamics? crisis instabilities created by their short time of flight. On
Many analysts have characterized the ongoing U.S., the other hand, nations might be unwilling to agree to limit
Russian, and Chinese development of HGVs and boost- these weapons without corresponding limits on missile and
glide weapons as an arms race because each nation seems to air defenses.
be competing to be the first to deploy these systems. Some
argue that the United States is falling behind in this contest Kelley M. Sayler, Analyst in Advanced Technology and
because Russia and China have both displayed operational Global Security
systems. Others argue that the United States is leading, and
Amy F. Woolf, Specialist in Nuclear Weapons Policy
may be escalating the race because it has accelerated its
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Defense Primer: Hypersonic Boost-Glide Weapons
IF11459
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